KISS Is Doin' It For The KidsBy Joshua Rothkopf
Photographs by Taso Hountas
During Nassau Coliseum's Friday night show, you could see the preponderance of adorable eight-year-olds in face paint. This was Kiss as family entertainment. "Look at all the Kiss children!" enthused singer Paul Stanley, cameras swiveling on the crowd. There was no swearing. And if Daddy hoisted you up on his shoulders to observe Paul sashaying on a platform singing "Love Gun" - well, that was what rock stars did, honey.
Touring behind its new LP, Sonic Boom, Kiss also reminded anyone who needed it of the resiliency of its act. Even with two original members replaced (Tommy Thayer on guitar and Eric Singer on drums) the band worked through a two-and-half-hour set with exuberance and panache.
But riffage is beside the point. You go to a Kiss show for the stunts too, like Gene Simmons spitting blood and fire. The crowd roared its approval. The set list was 1970s-heavy, with numbers like "Parasite"supplanted with video backdrops of swarming amoebas.
